Oak Ridge Today

Wildcats will play for state championship after beating Arlington 57-56

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Oak Ridge Wildcats and Arlington Tigers

The Oak Ridge Wildcats found a scoring formula that worked well on Friday: get the ball inside to senior Isaac Merian (#33) and let him fake out a defender before shooting in double and triple coverage.

MURFREESBORO—The Oak Ridge boys’ basketball team will play for a state championship for the first time in 51 years after beating the Arlington Tigers 57-56 in a semifinal game in Murfreesboro on Friday. It was a victory decided by a tie-breaking free throw with only a few seconds remaining.

The Wildcats (32-7) will now battle the Blackman Blaze (27-6) in the Class AAA state tournament finals in Murfreesboro on Saturday afternoon.

Senior Isaac Merian overcame double and triple teams on Friday to lead all scorers with 21 points. He often faked a shot, let a defender go by, and then fired.

“I just kept playing my game, and my shots kept falling,” said Merian, a 6-foot-6 power forward who also had three blocks. “It’s probably one of the most memorable games. I’ll tell this one to my kids.” [Read more…]

Wildcats headed back to state tournament after 62-55 win over Dobyns-Bennett

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Seth Davis Oak Ridge and John Fulkerson Dobyns-Bennett

Dobyns-Bennett’s John Fulkerson (#20) and Oak Ridge’s Seth Davis (#5) scramble after a loose ball. (Photo by Ned Jilton II/Kingsport Times News)

Note: This story was last updated at 12:05 p.m. March 5.

The Oak Ridge Wildcats will play in their second consecutive state tournament after a 62-55 win over Dobyns-Bennett in Kingsport on Tuesday.

It was another comeback victory for the Wildcats, who had been down 27-35 at halftime.

“We won the game in the second half defensively,” Oak Ridge Coach Aaron Green said.

He said senior Kevin Steen, who led the Wildcats with 16 points, sparked the team with 10 points in the third quarter, including a two-handed dunk off a rebound. [Read more…]

Wildcats advance to Region 2 finals with 61-58 win over Karns

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Oak Ridge Wildcats and Karns Beavers Region 2 Semifinals

Oak Ridge advanced to the Region 2 finals with a 61-58 win over Karns on Tuesday in front of one of the largest crowds ever at Wildcat Arena. The game’s theme was “America.”

Note: This story was last updated at 11:45 p.m.

The Oak Ridge boys’ basketball team advanced to the Region 2 finals with a 61-58 win over Karns on Tuesday in front of the one of the largest crowds ever at Wildcat Arena.

It was the third time this year that the Wildcats (29-6) have beat the Beavers, and the win guarantees them at least two more post-season games.

“It’s hard to beat any team three times, especially a good team,” Oak Ridge Coach Aaron Green said.

Oak Ridge will play Powell (22-9) at 7 p.m. Thursday at home in the Region 2 finals. The outcome will determine whether the Wildcats play at home or away in a Monday sectional game where teams will fight for a chance to go to the state tournament in Murfreesboro in March. [Read more…]